The IOC's policy on not credentialing reporters from
Internet sports sites is examined by John Dorschner of the
MIAMI HERALD, who writes that the policy "is built on a
schizoid combination of high finance, old technology and
retro amateurism." With 2.4 million viewers a week, CBS
SportsLine "has the circulation of a major magazine," but
its Olympics reporter, Mark Alesia, "is being forced to
watch from home." The company is "circumventing the dot-com
ban by hiring stringers and commentators who already have
credentials to the Games." Dorschner notes the "irony" of
the IOC's policy is that, "while dot-com writers are shut
out, newspapers with credentialed reporters," like the Miami
Herald, are "planning post stories on their websites during
the day -- hours in advance of hard-copy publication."
WEB DIARY BAN: Dorschner also notes that athletes have
also been banned from writing Web diaries and "serving as
journalists." While early reports had "suggested" that the
IOC would treat violators of the Web policy as "seriously as
athletes taking performance-enhancing drugs," now officials
"are backing down a bit." IOC Marketing Manager David
Aikman: "We probably won't take away a gold medal because of
this." U.S. swimmer Jenny Thompson, who had been posting a
daily training dairy for AthletesDirect.com, will "stop
writing during the Olympics," but the Web site "is planning
for her to do a live chat before or after her race." Also,
since athletes "share in revenue" from AthletesDirect Web
sites (through banner ads or links with e-tailers), the site
is "making other adjustments." For the next few days, the
homepage of basketball team member Kevin Garnett "will have
no references to commercial products" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/12).
THEY'RE FOLLOWING THEIR LEADER: In N.Y., Richard
Sandomir profiles NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol's affinity
for the Olympic Games, and writes that he "is the most vocal
and image-conscious of the four networks' sports division
leaders." Sandomir: "Like [Roone] Arledge, he is a
producer-executive who revels in being his division's public
relations specialist. But primarily he is a pragmatic
executive protecting his self-interest, never more so than
in his vigorous defense of [IOC President Juan Antonio]
Samaranch." Ebersol, on criticism of Samaranch during the
recent bid scandal: "I just didn't care what was said
against him. There is no question in my mind that there was
no way back from the abyss without Juan" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/12).
